The Berlin Airlift, a.k.a, The Berlin Blockade

Background info to the crisis:

• 1948: USA, Britain, France join their 3 zones together
• Allies were planning to introduce new currency to help recovery in their sector, including West Berlin
• Stalin did not want a prosperous Germany, saw it as a threat to the Soviet Union
• On the 24th June 1948 he closed all roads, canals and railways between the West of Germany and West Berlin – effectively cutting off West Berlin.
• The Blockade lasted 11 months: June 1948 – May 1949
• Only the air corridors remained open for the allies to fly in supplies to the people of West Berlin
• A tense cold war crisis had begun…

Do this match up quiz: http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/lessons/coldwar/blockade_matchup.html
(Drag the sentence fragments on the right to touch the ones on the left)
Here is another nice one, about Truman Doctrine and Marshall plan: http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/lessons/coldwar/truman_matchup.html

Task Assessment Criteria

Entry 1: 24th of June, 1948: Evidence of research of reasons / origin of airlift.	5 marks
Entry 2: 26th December 1948 Evidence of research of living conditions in Berlin at that time. Student has read task description (below) and has included reference to friend going over to the East.	5 marks
Entry 3: 5th May 1949 Evidence of research of reasons for lifting of the blockade.	5 marks
All entries: Creative writing. Student has identified with and understood the fictional teenager’s feelings and circumstances. Student has used descriptive and creative language to describe the experiences of the fictional teenager.	5 marks

Task Description

You are a 16/17 year old, living in West Berlin in 1948. You were born in 1932 in Berlin. You lived through the war from your 8th until your 13th year.
Image what your life would have been like so far…. Are your parents / extended family still alive? What have you and they experienced?

Write three entries as directed below. Each entry should be between 250 - 350 words in length. Make sure it contains reference to historical facts, personal details, descriptive and personal language.
Read the short texts on this page (Berlin Airlift +Candy Man).

Entry 1: 24th of June, 1948

In this entry you should describe your feelings as you hear that your city has been cut off from the West. Why do you think Stalin has done this? Where are you going to get supplies of food and fuel from? What are your fears for the future if no-one intervenes to help West Berliners?

Entry 2: 26th December 1948

The blockade has been in force for over 6 months. How have the people of West Berlin survived? Describe the way US and British pilots help keeping the people fed and supplied during this time. How much longer can this go on for? How did you celebrate Christmas day?
Explain your thoughts as you hear that one of your close friends has decided to go the East, enticed by the promise of extra rations. What do you think life will be like over there?

Entry 3: 5th May 1949

You have just heard that Stalin has called off the blockade!
Why do you think he has been forced to back down?
Why do you feel that this has been a victory for the West?
What was the human cost (to you, your family, the city, the country, the US/UK) of keeping you alive over the past months?

The Division of Germany

• 3 weeks later, on the 23rd May 1949 the three Western zones including West Berlin became officially known as the Federal Republic of Germany (WEST GERMANY)
• A few months later, on the 5th October the Soviet zone was renamed the German Democratic Republic (EAST GERMANY)
• ….the division of Germany had become permanent. It would take until 1989 for the two Germanys to reunite.

Berlin Airlift

The Berlin Airlift took place from 24 June, 1948, to 12 May, 1949. It was a response by the Western Allies to the blockade on West Berlin by the USSR. The Soviets sealed off all rail, road and canal routes, upon which the city depended for food and fuel deliveries from the sectors occupied by the Western Allies. The Soviets also cut off power deliveries from the generating plants in the sector they occupied, which West Berlin relied on for most of its electricity.

However, the Soviets overlooked the possibility that West Berlin could be supplied by air, since written agreements had already been reached granting the Western Allies access rights to their respective sectors through three air corridors over the Soviet-occupied sector that surrounded the city. The Western Allies decided therefore that the best course of action would be to attempt to supply West Berlin by air. This seemed an impossible task, as the Western Allies would have to provide all the necessities of life (except water) to meet the needs of over two million people. It appeared especially daunting because West Berlin would have to be supplied during the winter, which would mean delivering coal for heating and electricity.

Nevertheless the Berlin Airlift - Operation Vittles - was launched. Hundreds of reconditioned World War II bombers (nick-named Rosinenbomber, or 'raisin bombers') dropped their cargo onto fields that had been specially cleared for the purpose and, without even landing, returned to their bases for reloading. Millions of pounds of all sorts of supplies reached the city by air each day. 277,000 flights were made in total; at its height one plane reached West Berlin every 30 seconds. A high human cost was paid, too: 31 Americans, 40 Britons and 5 Germans lost their lives during the operation.
To the amazement of the world, Operation Vittles succeeded, managing to meet West Berlin's needs even throughout the severe winter of 1948-49. West Berliners co-operated by making do with a rudimentary diet, minimal heat and sharply curtailed hours of electricity. In a show of solidarity with the Western Allies, most also refused the tempting offers of food made by the Soviets.

By the spring of 1949, it was obvious that the Berlin Blockade had failed. On 12 May that year the USSR lifted it, re-opening access to West Berlin.
Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ptop/plain/A638976

A personal account: Berliner finally meets the ‘Candy Man’

By Renita Foster
Public Affairs Office

Cautiously, Helga Stege, along with her mother and sister, wound their way through the ravaged city of Berlin. Once the fourth largest city in the world that boasted of pride and strength, it was now little more than in shambles. Stege almost wanted to return to the summer house on the Baltic Sea to which she and her family had evacuated the year before.

By May 1945, however, World War II was winding down, and enemy soldiers were heading toward them. The three women had barely managed to catch the last train out to escape the Russian advance. Stege’s only wish now was to get home safely. If she still had one, that is.

The vast destruction that surrounded them in every direction offered little hope. So extensive was the damage, the 11-year-old was confused as to where she actually was. Only by lifting up street signs and making guesses was the family able to find their way back. “Our house had a siren on top when we left so that was a good clue,” said Helga. “As we walked up a long street we happened to spot that same siren so we knew our apartment was still there.”

The joy of finding home, however, was short lived. Chaos reigned inside with debris everywhere. The most devastating to Helga was their massive classical record collection smashed on the floor. Her father, Dr. Fritz Stege, had been a classical music critic and Helga had developed an affection for the classic compositions. Melodies that had afforded her countless hours of joy were gone forever. “We must have had over 1,000 recordings and the sight of them all destroyed made me cry,” said Helga. “It was also upsetting to discover soldiers had been living in our house and our beautiful rooms and furniture were in bad shape.”

But the hard times were just beginning. As members of the upper class, money had been the least of the Stege’s problems. Helga and her sister, Silvia, had enjoyed many privileges including a nanny. Now, Helga’s mother Edith resorted to delivering newspapers to keep the family alive.

Clothing was also sparse, and Helga discovered the change of circumstances changed people as well. “This is the kind of situation where you find out who your real friends are. We went to see our physician who had been to our house many times and was always pleasant. She hadn’t lost anything in the war, and now she was so unfriendly,” said Helga. “While giving us some clothes she acted like we were beggars. Which we were. When you’ve had a good upbringing and many privileges, and then all of a sudden you’re a beggar, it is tough.”

Helga did recognize important blessings such as her father returning home after escaping from a Russian prisoner of war camp after two years. The imprisonment had taken its toll on his appearance, but he was alive. Living in the British sector, Helga also appreciated the English soldiers who allowed the Berlin children to line up with their plates at dinner time for the leftovers.

It wasn’t until the Berlin Blockade three years later, however, that she understood how fortunate she was to be living in West Berlin. “I was 14-years-old in 1948 and I understood the city was divided into four different sectors by the British, Americans, French, and Russians,” said Helga. “But before the blockade I didn’t realize life was different from any other area.” On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union closed all rail, water, and road routes into West Berlin as a means to drive the Allies out of West Berlin and East Germany. Because the city was 110 miles inside the Soviet zone, no support could be expected from the Allies in West Germany. Two and a half million West Berliners were at the mercy of the Russians for food and coal for fuel.

Stege learned about the blockade a few days later from one of the first newspapers to circulate after the war. Unsure of how to react, she took her cue from her parents’ reactions who were obviously relieved they were in the British sector and had no relatives in the Russian zone. But the tough times became tougher. Food stamps quickly ran out forcing the family to scrounge for food. Usually it was old turnips or potatoes which they cooked in water.

The winters from 1946 through 1948 turned into some of the coldest for Berlin. “I still remember getting undressed in bed at night it was so cold,” said Helga. “And there was no heat or food at school for us.” Two days after the Berlin Blockade began Helga noticed American planes flying over her apartment building. At first she was frightened. The memory of bombs dropped by the Allies and exploding in the city was still vivid. Packed suitcases were ready at the door in case it became necessary to run for the bomb shelters. Stege’s mother quickly reassured the young teenager that the Americans and British were bringing everyone food to foil the Russian attempt to starve the Berliners and force the Allies to leave West Berlin.

Planes brought supplies through international air space corridors since ground transportation routes had never been agreed on between the Allies and the Russians after World War II ended. “After that I watched the planes all the time,” smiled Helga, excited by the memory. “And when we started receiving food it was all yellow. Yellow rolls, yellow bread, and yellow pudding because it was all cornmeal. But we didn’t care because it was delicious. It was food.” Though her family was receiving supplies, Stege knew her parents were concerned that the Western powers might still leave. If that happened the Russians would surely take Berlin. And by now, Stege realized there was a very big difference between the sectors.

From her childhood nanny, Stege had learned that after conquering Berlin, Russians had searched homes and bomb shelters for women and raped them. “My nanny was finally spared by offering herself to a Russian officer so he took care of her,” said Stege. “It was very bad times.” The sound of the airplanes landing every three minutes changed Stege’s fear to relief and courage. Watching them fly over her apartment house, she was overwhelmed that a former enemy was now saving her and the rest of West Berlin.

Instead of communism, a democracy would persevere. “And that’s why I love America,” said Stege with a beaming smile. “I’m so grateful to the United States because they fed us even though we had been at war just three years earlier. And it was a great risk for them. I love sharing that story with those who do not know about the Berlin Airlift.” Stege became a citizen as soon as possible after entering the United States in 1959. She also began to speak about what is considered the greatest humanitarian effort of the 20th Century.

When and wherever an air show features the “Spirit of Freedom,” a restored C-54 transport plane that represents the majority of aircraft that supplied West Berlin, Stege is also there to help educate today’s generation about the Berlin Blockade and airlift. After patiently waiting for visitors to board the plane and examine the memorabilia inside the plane that explains the airlift, Stege then relates her connection with the event.

“The reactions are always positive. They are stunned and fascinated by my experience,” said Stege. “I explain about the maps and the artifacts. And each time it’s like the first. I never get tired of sharing this wonderful story from my life.”
Stege has added one additional memory to her Berlin Airlift experience. She knew about Col. Gail Halvorsen, the pilot who became known as the “Candy Bomber” who dropped candy from his plane for Berliner children. Stege was never one of the recipients. During a recent air show in Reading, Pa., she finally got her chance. A reenactment of the candy drop had been included as part of the air show’s festivities and Stege eagerly lined up with the rest of the children to pick up candy thrown by Halvorsen.

“I told those kids that I was their age when the ‘Candy Bomber’ first appeared and generously threw out goodies for the poor children,” said Stege. “Then I climbed the fence and ran to the field where the candy was. I picked up my chocolate and I cried I was so excited. My favorite picture is me holding up my prize and Gail Halvorsen waving down at me.”
Although 60 years have passed since the Berlin Blockade and Airlift, Stege still lives by lessons she learned then. She never throws food away and strives to be friendly and outgoing. She insists she “loves” everyone she meets, especially Americans who were so kind to the Berliners.

“The war hadn’t been over that long; yet those pilots and their crews saved us anyway,” said Stege. “I was so proud to become an American citizen and I still remember pledging allegiance to the flag for the first time in Boston’s City Hall. It was one of the greatest moments of my life.”

(Editor’s note: This is the second story in a series “Remembering the Berlin Airlift.”)
Source: //http://www.monmouth.army.mil/monmouthmessage/stories070308/news_story_01.html//